The present invention relates to mounting of an ironing board assembly on a substantially vertical structure, such as a door or the like, and more particularly, to such an assembly with improved holding means to resist shifting during use or upon swinging of the door when not in use.
In recent years, one of the most popular new ironing board units to be introduced into the marketplace is the over-the-door ironing board assembly, as covered in U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,468, issued Aug. 20, 1991 as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,976,205 and 4,899,667, all owned by the assignee of the present invention. One of the key features of this new ironing board concept is the provision for securely holding the ironing board snug against the door to not only resist lateral shifting during ironing, but also to insure stability of the ironing board assembly in the retracted position as the door swings open and closed during periods of non-use. Among the holding means or holders identified and covered in the prior patents are biasing means for the frame, frictional bumpers and/or suction cups. In this regard, reference is made to the '468 patent.
While these holders, separately and in concert together have proven to be successful in helping to make the over-the-board ironing board assembly a success in the marketplace, a couple of significant drawbacks to the design have been identified. In the first instance, the drawback applies to the frictional bumpers, suction cups and/or equivalent holders that may be employed for the desired purpose. For example, it has been found that with the original design, the attachment of bumpers/suction cups requires separate mounting hardware, such as the separate molded plastic support for the suction cup holders (note, for example, FIG. 10 of the '468 patent). This piece, as well as the additional hardware, is a significant cost, especially when considering mass production of these ironing board assemblies.
Also, with this prior art arrangement, it was found that the suction cup, as well as the other components of the holding means, had to be supplied loose during shipping in order to minimize the size (especially the thickness) of the carton. This has proven to be a significant disadvantage in that the parts can be inadvertently omitted from the shipping carton, can be lost or misplaced and most importantly requires the ultimate user to perform an assembly process. While assembling of the suction cup or other holders is not difficult for some people, it can be a trying experience, especially for older users or users that have no mechanical aptitude. Furthermore, with the suction cup having to be left exposed in the ready-to-use position when the ironing board assembly is being moved, it is possible to bend or distort the fragile rim of the cup so that its suction forming ability is adversely affected.
Accordingly, it has been discovered that it is desirable to provide an improvement over the original design, so that the function of the holders for stabilizing the ironing board assembly is enhanced; while at the same time, the cost of the holders for the ironing board assembly can be reduced and can be made easier to use. As an adjunct to these desirable concepts, it is important to provide a design wherein the holders are protected during handling, including during shipping.